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Shots - Health Blog
12:04 pm
Thu March 29, 2012

Autism Rates Jump Again, As Diagnosis Improves

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Some children with autism have trouble speaking, and use images to help communicate.
Credit Bebeto Matthews / AP
Christopher Astacio reads with his daughter Cristina, 2, recently diagnosed with a mild form of autism, in her New York bedroom on Wednesday.
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The number of children diagnosed with autism jumped 23 percent between 2006 and 2008, according to the latest federal estimate.

Now, 1 in 88 children has been diagnosed with autism, according to figures from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The rapid rise prompted calls to declare the developmental disorder an epidemic. "This is a national emergency in need of a national plan," Mark Roithmayr, president of the advocacy group Autism Speaks, said at a CDC media briefing Thursday.

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All Tech Considered
11:02 am
Thu March 29, 2012

Using An App To Report Injured Wildlife

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A rescued bobcat waits to be fed at a wild animal sanctuary in Keenesburg, Colo.
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The AnimalHelpNow app currently works only in Colorado, but there are plans to expand the project nationally.
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Originally published on Thu March 29, 2012 11:04 am

If you find an injured bird in your back yard, do you know who to call? The Boulder, Colo., group Animal Watch has developed a free iPhone and iPad application and a website called AnimalHelpNow designed to assist with such an emergency. The app and site only work for locations in Colorado, but its developers hope to expand the program nationally.

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Shots - Health Blog
10:55 am
Thu March 29, 2012

Like The U.S., Europe Wrestles With Health Care

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A patient is treated at the Nord Hospital in Marseille, France, in February. European countries have also been engaged in intense debates on the future of their health care systems, where universal coverage is the norm.
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Originally published on Thu March 29, 2012 1:57 pm

The U.S. has been absorbed by the Supreme Court case this week on the future of health care. But Americans are not alone.

Several European nations, where universal health care has been the norm for decades, have been waging their own intense debates as they also deal with aging populations and rising costs.

Britain passed a new health care measure earlier this month, after more than a year of rancorous debate. Can the European experience cast some light on the American debate over health care?

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The Two-Way
10:55 am
Thu March 29, 2012

Gingrich Is 'At The End Of His Line' Says His Biggest Financial Supporter

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Sheldon Adelson.
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  • NPR's Peter Overby, during the noon ET Newscast

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The Two-Way
10:44 am
Thu March 29, 2012

Study: Conservatives' Trust In Science At Record Low

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Elizabeth Burrows of LaGrange, Kentucky, walks with her children, as they tour the Creation Museum in Petersburg, Kentucky. The privately funded museum exhibits the Earth's history according to the Bible.
Credit American Sociological Review
Unadjusted Means of Public Trust in Science for Each Survey Year by Political Ideology.
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While trust in science has remained flat for most Americans, a new study finds that for those who identify as conservatives trust in science has plummeted to its lowest level since 1974.

Gordon Gauchat, a sociology professor at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, studied data from the General Social Survey and found that changes in confidence in science are not uniform across all groups.

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